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GE’s ‘grid-forming’ inverter aims to make solar, wind look like traditional generators

GE Research plans to test new controls with its PV LV5 inverter platform — aiming to develop “grid-forming” controls to allow wind and solar inverters to form voltage and frequency levels like traditional generators. The company wants to improve coordination and synchronization among multiple grid-forming resources, and is working to improve the transient stability of systems with high renewables penetration.

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World now has 583.5 GW of operational solar, plus more uplifting renewable energy stats

Global grid-connected solar capacity reached 580.1 GW at the end of 2019, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Total installed renewables capacity hit a remarkable 2,563.8 GW, with hydropower remaining the dominant source at 1,310.9 GW, followed by wind at 622.7 GW.

Swiss solar tiles for new and historic buildings – in photos

The product costs around $28 to $30 per square-foot although prices will vary depending on project complexity. Swiss manufacturer Freesuns says its tiles can be used on historic buildings and can cover 100% of rooftops.

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Cooling down PV panels with water

France’s Sunbooster has developed a technology to cool down solar modules when the ambient temperature exceeds 25 C. The solution features a set of pipes that spread a thin film of water onto the glass surface of the panels in rooftop PV systems and ground-mounted plants. The cooling systems collect the water from rainwater tanks and then recycle, filter and store it again. The company claims the technology can facilitate an annual increase in power generation of between 8% and 12%.

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Chinese fishery hosting 260 MW of unsubsidized solar

The solar plant was built with fixed structures on a 400-hectare water surface at a fishery in Anhui province. The project was the first unsubsidized plant approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2019 and is selling power at a price of $0.054 per kWh.

World’s biggest solar module factory

GCL System Integration plans to build a 60 GW solar module factory in China’s Anhui province, with a total investment of approximately $2.5 billion.

First order for 500 W solar modules announced

Chinese manufacturer Risen Energy will supply Malaysia’s Tokai Engineering with 20 MW of its new panels, unveiled in December. Risen claims its products can help reduce balance-of-system project costs by 9.6% and levelized cost of energy by 6%.

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Lessons to be learned from Italy’s alleged PV recycling fraud

The alleged resale in developing countries of solar modules sent for end-of-life recycling in Sicily could have an important lesson for the PV industry: select reliable recycling entities to avoid potential trouble further down the line. The PV industry should also avoid another potential risk, that of the illegal disposal of PV waste outside the EU.

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Trina unveils two 500-watt bifacial solar modules

The panels are equipped with glass-glass or glass-backsheet frames. Both offer a reported 21% efficiency. Trina plans to have a combined 5 GW of annual production capacity for the products this year.

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Hanwha officially exits polysilicon business

Hanwha Solutions has confirmed that it will shut down its polysilicon business over the course of the next year, only a week after saying that it was still evaluating its plans for the sector.

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